x
  • Weather

    12° C Overcast clouds
  • Time

    09:49 AM
  • Wine average?

    93 Tb
  • Country Ranking?

    9
  • Region Ranking?

    8
  • Popularity ranking?

    248

History

Domäne Wachau’s Cellar Palace is an attractive baroque landmark of the region, planned and built by Jakob Prandtauer from 1714 to 1719.  The small baroque chateau is nestled in the Wachau vineyard slopes and its picturesque setting lures visitors and hikers to pause for leisure.  The palace originally served as an entertainment residence for Hieronymus Übelbacher, Apt of the Dürnstein Abbey, who was an enthusiast of the wines of Wachau.  In the course of history, the Cellar Castle had many famous guests, including the Ambassador Leopold Figl who was a frequent visitor during negotiations for the Federal Treaty.

Domäne Wachau use the historic building for diverse purposes, most recently as wine archive and tasting facility.  A complete interior renovation in 2006 now boasts bright frescos, restored plaster reliefs and murals.  Every detail is dedicated to the famous wines of the Wachau, which are sometimes portrayed in serious, sometimes in humorous manner.  The Cellar Palace art collection is particularly known for its copper plates and drawings, which have also been restored and can be viewed by the public.  The Cellar Castle facilities offer a unique atmosphere that can be rented for holidays, presentations, and tastings throughout the year.

Close

Vineyards

The Domäne Wachau is deeply rooted in the Wachau region. Close to 440 hectares of vineyards are cultivated by the members of this quality-oriented cooperative – that makes 30 percent of the entire Wachau vineyard area.  These vineyards are found on steep terraces reinforced by old dry stone walls and are part of a World Cultural Heritage.  Famous names like Achleiten, Kollmitz, Loibenberg and Tausend-Eimer-Berg are found on the Domäne Wachau’s vineyard map and make it the only winery in the Wachau with wines from all of the most prestigious sites in the region.

Domäne Wachau strives for the highest quality and as a member of the Vinea Wachau Nobils Districtus quality association, produces wines in the categories Steinfeder, Federspiel and Smaragd.  Grapes are sourced from our own vineyards in the Wachau; the purchase of grapes, must or wine from outside the Wachau is not permitted.

Domäne Wachau is among the largest wineries in Austria and produces wines in the premium segment only.  New measures for quality assurance have brought Domäne Wachau recognition as one of the top ten best white wine producers in Austria.

Close

Winemaking

Domäne Wachau strives for quality without compromise both in the vineyard and in the cellar.  Together with significantly improved cooperation with grape growers and a competently employed vineyard quality assurance program, gentle vinification technique guarantee wines of precise and clear expression.

All of the Domäne Wachau wines and in particular the “Terrassen” and single-vineyard wines are never heady alcohol-laden wines, but fruity wines with firm mineral structure that have been highly influenced by primary rock soils.  Finesse, not voluptuous body, is in the foreground and these wines offer tremendous drinking pleasure and fascinating elegance as accompaniment to food.

Domäne Wachau strives for authentic regional character in their wines.  The Wachau and its marvellous vineyards should find precise definition and clear expression.  Essential is persistent, stabile fruit and mineral character that continue with extended bottle ageing and mature into complex secondary aromas in our top wines.  The superb ageing capability of selected Smaragd wines and their fascinating development in the bottle is an explicit goal in our wine making.

A core goal of our cooperative is the achievement of fair grape prices for our numerous growers that labour under the difficult conditions in the Wachau.  Not only the hard work in the steep terraces, but also measures for preserving our cultural landscape should be rewarded.  This goal and our commitment to the highest possible quality are behind all of our efforts.

Oenologist Heinz Frischengruber now sources from the best possible fruit thanks to the established reward system for growers as well as strict fruit delivery regulations.  He handles these grapes gently and conscientiously while focusing on precision of expression.

Protective juice handling and reductive fermentation are practiced to promote the best primary fruit extraction. Juice clarification is given two days and the cool fermentation of clear must follows.  Fermentation takes a bit longer at 16-18°C (Smaragd ferments slightly warmer).  The wines are sulphured as late as possible to ensure stability.  This practice often requires sensory control twice daily to select the perfect time for stabilization (and that with over 50 different wines in the cellar!).The addition of sulphur dioxide occurs later, up to six weeks after fermentation, for Smaragd wines.

Frischengruber’s focus is on the single-vineyard wines.  These remain particularly long on the fine lees.  Minimal manipulation is practiced to allow great wines their maximum potential for natural development.

Close

8 different wines with 36 vintages

People

  • Roman Horvath MW

    Winery Director
    Concentrated Grüner Veltliners from Kellerberg are his favourite wines, but Roman also appreciates elegant white Burgundies. Before making his home in the Wachau, he worked in wine trade as well as wineries in Chile and France. He was the second Austrian to successfully complete the prestigious Master of Wine education at the Institute of Masters of Wine in London. Roman joined the Domäne Wachau as Winery Director in 2004 where he has been responsible for the successful quality-oriented restructuring and strategic positioning of the winery. He also keeps very busy in his private life as a family father who is quite proud of a daughter and twin boys all in primary-school age.
  • Heinz Frischengruber

    Oenologist & Winemaker
    After years of apprenticeship in the international wine world, Heinz Frischengruber returned to his origins in the Wachau. He is a graduate of the Viniculture College Klosterneuburg, studied international wine marketing at the college in Eisenstadt and oenology at the reputed University of Geisenheim. Heinz’ key contributions to the success of Domäne Wachau are the successful development of a quality improvement programme in the vineyards as well as a focus on preserving the unique terroir character of the wines. Heinz was awarded as the Vintner Newcomer of the Year in 2007 and is also the managing director of the Austrian Oenology and Wine Research. He adores tasting the wines of the world directly in their own terroir.
Incorrect Information
If you found some information that is wrong, let us know
UPGRADE MEMBER PLAN
Upgrade your membership now, it's quick and easy. We use PayPal, the world's largest payment system, it accepts all credit cards. Once you've chosen your membership level, you'll go directly to PayPal. You can cancel your membership at any time.
Thank you for your support!
 

Pro Member

 

Winemerchant Member

 

Winery Member

 

User

 

HOW TO USE TASTINGBOOK?

We recommend you to share few minutes for watching the following video instructions of how to use the Tastingbook. This can provide you a comprehensive understanding of all the features you can find from this unique service platform.

This video will help you get started



Taste wines with the Tastingbook


Create Your wine cellar on 'My Wines'



Explore Your tasted wines library



Administrate Your wine world in Your Profile



Type a message ...
Register to Tastingbook
Sign up now, it's quick and easy.
We use PayPal, the world's largest payment system, it accepts all credit cards.
Once you've chosen your membership level, you'll go directly to PayPal, where you can sign up for a free 7-day trial period. You can cancel your membership at any time. We wish you a rewarding journey to the world of Fine Wines.

Free 7 days Member trial

 

Member

 

Pro Member

 

Winemerchant Member

 

Winery Member

 

User

  Register